An ionocraft, or ion-propelled aircraft, is an electrohydrodynamic device that utilizes an electrical phenomenon known as the ion wind effect to produce thrust, without requiring any combustion or moving parts. In its basic form, it simply consists of two parallel conductive electrodes, one in the form of a fine wire or needle point and another which may be formed of either a wire, grid, or streamlined tubes with a smooth round upper surface. When such an arrangement is powered by high voltage in the range of tens of kilovolts, it produces thrust.
Ionocraft provide a number of advantages, including an absence of moving parts, lower friction losses, as compared to a helicopter, due to no spinning blades or gears, and lower production cost due to simpler construction. The craft can avoid many of the speed limiting factors of a helicopter or jet, with the maximum speed is only primarily limited by the power to weight ratio of the power supply input. Compared to a chemical rocket, ion powered flight is far more efficient, has a better delta-v potential and nearly infinite specific impulse, since it can operate as an air breathing device and does not necessarily need to carry any propellant onboard.